wood laminate flooring in kitchen

I will be installing wood laminate flooring in (almost) my entire house, including the kitchen. I need help with how to install around my dishwasher. I have a solid surface countertop to which my dishwasher is glued to (not screwed into), so I have no way of removing it to put in the flooring. The dishwasher goes all the way to the floor. How can I do this so that it still looks nice, and has room for expansion? And what kind of sealant should I use around this area?

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wood laminate flooring in kitchen

Wow, that's a pickle...

Off the top of my head, this is all I can think of at the moment.

Attach laminate floor right up to dishwasher. Use silicone to seal around all exposed edges of the flooring facing the dishwasher (You should do that with all edges of the laminate flooring in your kitchen anyway).
Fabricate a wood or laminate 'cover' the width of the Dishwasher's base that is some-what 'C' shaped to slide over the front of the dishwasher's lower area and hide the edges of the flooring. Let it sit loose or attach with small 'L' brackets onto the toe-kick, but hidden from sight....

That's the best I can do at the moment. Anyone else?

(BTW: Problem: Take note that if dishwasher ever needs to be serviced or replaced, your will be in a bigger pickle than before....)

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

For what its worth wood and laminate are two different things.

I suspect you are in this 'pickle' as Atlantic put it because you are running on TOP of an existing floor. Best bet is to remove the existing floor first. You may also need to do as Ron suggested, if possible, raise the feet up. And do as Atlantic suggested, seal the edges. Laminate is like a sponge when it gets wet and expands and falls apart.

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

Thank you all!!! You guys rock! After reading your posts as to the fact that the dishwasher can be moved up, I took a closer look and figured out I can unscrew the bottom panel. And lo and behold, there is a whole lot of space under there. I can screw it back in a little higher up, too. Problem solved! You see, the guy at Lowe's (who worked in the appliance section) told me none of the dishwashers had removable panels on the bottom when I asked him about that. And that is where I bought the thing. You would think he would know what he's talking about. By the way, I'm a girl, so I think sometimes I am "dismissed" a little to soon when asking questions at the local hardware store. LOL!

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjacobson

You see, the guy at Lowe's (who worked in the appliance section) told me none of the dishwashers had removable panels on the bottom when I asked him about that. You would think he would know what he's talking about.

Sometimes you may talk with someone with knowledge about the products and other times you may have someone that is clueless about the products that they sell.

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

I am still doing the prep work for laying my laminate, and now I have another question. I am pulling up peel and stick vinyl squares in my kitchen, and it is leaving a sticky residue on the concrete. Will that matter when I lay down the moisture barrier plastic sheet? It will undoubtedly stick right to it. And if I do need to get rid of the glue residue, how would I do that?

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjacobson

I am still doing the prep work for laying my laminate, and now I have another question. I am pulling up peel and stick vinyl squares in my kitchen, and it is leaving a sticky residue on the concrete. Will that matter when I lay down the moisture barrier plastic sheet? It will undoubtedly stick right to it. And if I do need to get rid of the glue residue, how would I do that?

The purpose of the foam underlayment is to 'deaden' noise and to provide a soft cushion-like feel when walking on the laminate floors.(Some underlayments also have a plastic or poly surface on the bottom to serve as a vapor barrier when going over concrete floors)

The foam underlayment is supposed to be 'loose' when installed. The problem you would run into if you were to lay the foam down onto that sticky area is that it would end up being compressed (the foam underlayment) as it is walked on and the glue residue slowly gets forced 'into' (and absorbed) by the foam. Then you will loose the function of the foam underlayment (as it gets flattened).

You should remove the residue with an adhesive remover. Try your local flooring store to see if they can point you to the correct kind of adhesive remover (taking the concrete into consideration)
(Additionally, if you are not sure you got all the residue off after trying to remove it, you could paint the area with aome kind of primer appropriate for the concrete material that is there)....

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

I just want to clarify... the laminate has the "cushion" piece already glued to the bottom of it, and I am putting down a polythylene moisture barrier sheet underneath that (big blue sheet roll). The sheet will be what is touching the glue. Is that still the case where it will soak through and affect my flooring? Thanks for your help.

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjacobson

I just want to clarify... the laminate has the "cushion" piece already glued to the bottom of it, and I am putting down a polythylene moisture barrier sheet underneath that (big blue sheet roll). The sheet will be what is touching the glue. Is that still the case where it will soak through and affect my flooring? Thanks for your help.

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

wood laminate flooring in kitchen

I caution against laying the vapor barrier on a tacky surface you may wind up with a snap crackle pop floor. You want to kill the tackiness less the vapor barrier stick and release with each step. The recommendation would be to remove the adhesive residue but I've dusted the residue with ardex to kill the tackiness. Just pour it on and work it in with a stiff bristle broom till the tackiness is gone.